The Sacred Leaves Family's Wishes for Peace

Fang Ting, now an Emperor Realm cultivator, was also sizing up Jiang Hongye.

She remained breathtaking as ever—dressed in a simple white robe, adorned with scattered red leaves. Her three thousand strands of ink-black hair fell loosely behind her.

Her bearing and beauty were equally remarkable.

Yet if she stood among ordinary mortals, they would only see a stunning young maiden—pure and delicate.

They would never suspect she was actually one of the most powerful beings in Cangzhou: an Emperor Realm cultivator.

Even now, despite Fang Ting's own ascension to Emperor Realm, he still couldn't pierce her cultivation base—a sign that she remained one level above him.

Setting down his teapot, Fang Ting spoke:

"Princess, please have some tea."

Only then did Jiang Hongye come back to her senses. She sat at the table and, in a tone tinged with disbelief, remarked:

"Your growth is… truly astonishing."

She had just examined his soul aura—he hadn't been possessed, nor was he the reincarnation of an ancient powerhouse. That made it all the more shocking.

"That's just how we Fang Clan cultivators are," Fang Ting replied casually—without a trace of humility.

Jiang Hongye gave a dry laugh.

"You're the fastest and most exceptional of them all."

Indeed—his speed was unmatched, and his case uniquely shocking.

Yin Xianhong, Shen Hongyi, even Jiang Hongye herself—none of them had expected Fang Ting to be the most monstrous of the Fang Clan.

They had been blinded by the brilliance of the Immortal and Sacred Bodies. They forgot that Fang Ting ranked first on the Cangzhou Prodigy Ranking, with a massive lead, and had effortlessly crushed the top prodigies from other continents.

He had shown signs of greatness all along.

Fang Ting simply smiled and sipped his tea.

In the past, he had always acted like a junior in Jiang Hongye's presence. But now that he had become an Emperor, he felt entirely at ease around her.

After a brief silence and reflection, Jiang Hongye said:

"Perhaps someday, I'll need your help."

"Naturally," Fang Ting replied, "I won't refuse."

Long ago in the Great Zhou imperial palace, Jiang Hongye and Fang Ting had made a pact: she would help the Fang Clan weather its early trials, serving as their protector. In return, the Fang Clan would assist her once they were strong enough.

Back then, Jiang Hongye had assumed it would take a very long time—and that the ones helping her would likely be Fang Mu Ge or Fang Ying.

She never imagined that day would come so soon, and that it would be Fang Ting himself who fulfilled the promise.

After chatting over tea for about half an hour, Jiang Hongye took her leave.

Even she did not know when she would next return to Cangzhou.

That day marked the unification of the Eight Ancient Nations, the grand opening of Ascension City, and the official launch of the Great Qian Dynasty.

All of Cangzhou buzzed with talk of these events.

As a steadfast ally of the Fang Clan, the Great Xia Dynasty rejoiced. More powerful friends meant more allies, and seeing the Fang Clan rise brought them genuine happiness.

But they never expected that disaster was already upon them.

BOOM—BOOM—BOOM!!

A trio of thunderous explosions echoed around the imperial palace of Great Xia, shaking the earth for hundreds of miles. It felt like a massive earthquake.

"What's going on? An earthquake?"

"Could it be cultivators fighting?"

"Impossible! This is the imperial palace. Who would dare stir trouble here?!"

"Wait… could it be the same people who destroyed the Duan Clan and the Tai Chu Sacred Land?!"

"Look—what are those?!"

Those close to the palace could see them clearly—three golden pillars, each over 30 feet thick and rising so high their ends were out of sight, suddenly descended at the corners of the palace and plunged deep into the earth.

They looked like pillars of heaven. After burrowing over 300 feet underground, they lit up with radiant golden light.

HUMMMMM—!!

The three celestial pillars activated in unison, forming a giant golden barrier that surrounded the palace like a fortress wall.

Just then, auras surged in the royal palace's forbidden zone—the imperial ancestors of the Great Xia Dynasty, one after another, rose into the sky.

"How dare you!"

"Who dares cause havoc at the heart of Great Xia!?"

Typically, each hegemon-level faction had four Saint King Realm cultivators. During the siege of the Great Zhou Palace, eighteen Saint Kings had been slain by Jiang Hongye, leaving many factions short-handed.

But the Great Xia Dynasty had stood with the Fang Clan and avoided that catastrophe. So they still retained all four Saint Kings.

Startled by this sudden attack, all four emerged from seclusion.

Upon seeing that the intruders had used supreme artifacts to lay down a massive formation, the four ancestral Saint Kings were filled with foreboding.

They had heard of the Duan Clan and the Tai Chu Sacred Land's destruction.

Now, this scenario looked exactly like the lead-up to those events.

"Who are you?! Why do you keep targeting Cangzhou's great powers?! Do you not fear a unified retaliation from us all?!"

The elder Saint King shouted despite knowing full well that any force brazen enough to act like this wouldn't be easily frightened.

He was only trying to buy time—to find a way to break out or alert their allies.

But the attackers ignored him.

BOOM!

Powerful auras flared from all directions.

Each of them was Saint King level—a flood of overwhelming power that made them feel like they were facing primordial beasts.

"From this day forth, the Great Xia Dynasty shall cease to exist."

The deep, resonant voice echoed through the palace, striking fear into every soul inside.

Not a single soul expected that a hegemon like Great Xia would face such annihilation.

The attackers—more numerous and better prepared—launched their assault.

Despite the support of the royal palace's many protective formations, the four Saint Kings were quickly overwhelmed.

Worse still, the golden pillars' formation didn't just cut off all outside communication—it also sealed the void.

Not even the spatial escape tokens left behind by ancient Emperor Realm ancestors could be activated.

Those in the capital sensed the turmoil but dared not approach. The strongest among them were only Great Saint Realm cultivators—they didn't even qualify to watch from afar.

Some tried to flee.

But when they did, they discovered that the entire royal city had been sealed—the very heavens and earth locked down by Saint Kings.

Clearly, the enemy had come prepared.

Despite a valiant resistance, the Great Xia royal family eventually fell—just like the Duan Clan.

The imperial palace was reduced to nothing, leaving only a bottomless crater.

Even the Heaven-grade spiritual vein beneath the capital was taken.

Another hegemonic force in Cangzhou… has vanished.